The present invention relates to an electric motor and in particular to a bi-directional, direct current electric motor having solid state, electronic commutation and a core and coil configuration which permits simple alteration of motor capacity without significant alteration of the motor configuration whereby the motor is especially adapted for mass production applications requiring a variety of motors.
Small electric motors and in particular small electric motors operating from a source of direct current potential are well known and widely used. Uses for such motors range from children's toys to fan and blower motors for automobiles. For each application of such a motor, it is common practice to vary most if not all of the parameters affecting the motors design to thereby adapt the motor for its particular use or to provide a motor having a particular capacity in terms of torque, speed, and operating characteristics. It is further, common practice to provide such motors with laminated iron cores and coil windings with the coil windings being stuffed or otherwise inserted into the core, retained by means such as plastic or wooden wedges or the like and individually electrically connected to a segmented commutator. Motor cores are varied both in length and diameter and the density and wire size of coils are varied. Each motor is typically adapted by means of starting coils or the like to rotate in a single direction suited to the end use thereof.
Because of the mass usage of such motors, mass production techniques have enabled the production of such motors at relatively low cost despite the many and varied configurations. Nonetheless, there exists a need to provide a small and efficient direct current electric motor which provides simple variation of the parameters thereof whereby a single, substantially standardized motor configuration can be provided to fulfill varied capacity requirements.